---
title: Layout
description: Give your forms some structure—from inline to horizontal to custom grid implementations—with our form layout options.
sidebar_position: 9
---

import FormGroup from '!!raw-loader!../examples/Form/FormGroup';
import FormLabelSizing from '!!raw-loader!../examples/Form/FormLabelSizing';
import GridAutoSizing from '!!raw-loader!../examples/Form/GridAutoSizing';
import GridAutoSizingColMix from '!!raw-loader!../examples/Form/GridAutoSizingColMix';
import GridBasic from '!!raw-loader!../examples/Form/GridBasic';
import GridColSizes from '!!raw-loader!../examples/Form/GridColSizes';
import GridComplex from '!!raw-loader!../examples/Form/GridComplex';
import Horizontal from '!!raw-loader!../examples/Form/Horizontal';

## Forms

Every group of form fields should reside in a `<Form>` element. Bootstrap
provides no default styling for the `<Form>` element, but there are some
powerful browser features that are provided by default.

- New to browser forms? Consider reviewing [the MDN form docs](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/form)
  for an overview and complete list of available attributes.
- `<button>`s within a `<Form>` default to `type="submit"`, so strive to be
  specific and always include a `type`.
- You can disable all controls within a form by wrapping them in
  a `<fieldset>` and setting the `disabled` attribute on it.

Since Bootstrap applies `display: block` and `width: 100%` to almost all our
form controls, forms will by default stack vertically. Additional classes can
be used to vary this layout on a per-form basis.

## Form groups

The `FormGroup` component is the easiest way to add some structure to forms.
It provides a flexible container for grouping of labels, controls, optional
help text, and form validation messaging. Use it with `fieldset`s, `div`s,
or nearly any other element.

You also add the `controlId` prop to accessibly wire the nested label and
input together via the `id`.

<CodeBlock language="jsx" live>
  {FormGroup}
</CodeBlock>

## Form grid

More complex forms can be built using the grid components. Use these for
form layouts that require multiple columns, varied widths, and additional
alignment options.

<CodeBlock language="jsx" live>
  {GridBasic}
</CodeBlock>

More complex layouts can also be created with the grid system.

<CodeBlock language="jsx" live>
  {GridComplex}
</CodeBlock>

## Horizontal form

Create horizontal forms with the grid by adding `as={Row}` to form groups and
using `Col` to specify the width of your labels and controls. Be sure to add
the `column ` prop to your `FormLabel`s as well so they’re vertically centered
with their associated form controls.

At times, you maybe need to use margin or padding utilities to create that
perfect alignment you need. For example, we’ve removed the `padding-top` on our
stacked radio inputs label to better align the text baseline.

<CodeBlock language="jsx" live>
  {Horizontal}
</CodeBlock>

### Horizontal form label sizing

You can size the `<FormLabel>` using the `column` prop as shown.

<CodeBlock language="jsx" live>
  {FormLabelSizing}
</CodeBlock>

## Column sizing

As shown in the previous examples, our grid system allows you to place any number
of `<Col>`s within a `<Row>`. They'll split the available width equally between
them. You may also pick a subset of your columns to take up more or less space,
while the remaining `<Col>`s equally split the rest, with specific column classes
like `<Col xs={7}>`.

<CodeBlock language="jsx" live>
  {GridColSizes}
</CodeBlock>

## Auto-sizing

The example below uses a flexbox utility to vertically center the contents and
changes `<Col>` to `<Col xs="auto">` so that your columns only take up as much
space as needed. Put another way, the column sizes itself based on the contents.

<CodeBlock language="jsx" live>
  {GridAutoSizing}
</CodeBlock>

You can then remix that once again with size-specific column classes.

<CodeBlock language="jsx" live>
  {GridAutoSizingColMix}
</CodeBlock>

## API

### FormGroup

<PropsTable name="FormGroup" />
